Costumer or clothes-rack.



I. D. PELLETIER.

GosTUMER 0R CLOTHES RACK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1911.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. D. PELLETIER.

COSTUMER 0R CLOTHES RACK.

APPLICATION FILED M1122, 1911.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

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FRANK D. PELLETIER, 0F KANSAS-CITY, MISSOURI.

COSTUMER OR CLOTHES-RACK.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented (1ct. 22, 1912.

Application filed Apr1 22, 1911. Serial No. 622,803.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. PELLETIER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Costumers orClothes-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to costumers or :v clothes racks of that classsusceptible of being folded to inoperative condition, and my object isto produce a device of this character of simple, strong, durable andornamental and inexpensive construction.

lith this object in view and others as hereinafter appear, the inventionconsists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction andorganization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that itmay be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1, is a central vertical section of a.costumer or clothes rack embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is an enlargedperspective view of the upper end of the casing of the device. Fig. 3,is a perspective view of the inner member of the device. Fig. 4, is aperspective view of the device in slightly modified form. Fig. 5, is acentral vertical section of the same. Fig. 6, is a horizontal section onthe line VI-VI of Fig. 5. Fig. 7, is a horizontal section of a sec-ondmodification of the device. Fig. 8, is a section on the line VIIIvVIIIof Fig. 7.

In the said drawings, 1 is a. casing preferably of cylindrical form andprovided at its upper end with a removable cap 2, having a large angularopening 3, which in the preferred type of construction is. rectangularin contour, and formed in the cap are openings 4, communicating withopenings 3. A short distance below the cap the casing is provided withone or more holes 5. Hereinafter the casing is termed the outer memberof the device.

6 indicates the inner member of the device, the same being within andbearing a sliding relation to the casing and in the preferredconstruction the member 6 is provided at its upper end with anornamental head 7. Member 6 is hollow and in the preferred constructionis of rectangular form and fits snugly in the casing and extends throughthe opening 3 thereof and is in-r capable of rotary movement. Member 6is formed with inwardly projecting portions extending longitudinally toprovide external vertical -grooves 8, which in the preferredconstruction extend for the full length of the member, and register withthe openings t of the cap.

As its lower end member 6 is provided with outwardly projecting anges 9for frictional engagement with the inner side of the outer member andadapted to coperate with the cap in maintaining the inner member in avertical position, and projecting outwardly from one of the grooves 8 isa tongue 10 of slightly greater width than the overlying opening et ofthe cap in order that said tongue shall be incapable of passing throughsaid opening and shall therefore guard against the accidental withdrawalof the inner member from the outer member when the device is beingextended for use. e

To secure the device in its extended position, the inner member isprovided with one or more spring catches 11 adapted to bear frictionallyagainst the outer member and snap into opening 5 thereof, as theextension of the device is arrested by the contact of tongue 10 with thecap.

12 indicates a plurality of arms, which in the preferred construction,lie within the grooves 8 when inoperative, and susceptible of passingthrough the openings 4 as the device is extended or contracted orfolded, and at their lower ends the arms project into the inner memberthrough openings 13 thereof andare secured to said member by pivots 14.Below and outward of said pivots the arms are fo-rmed with shoulders 15,to bear against the exterior surface of Said member and to distributethe strain imposed on the member by sustaining coats or other articlesof clothing on the arms, the latter are pro-vided with curved extensionsor feet 16 which bear against the interior surface of said member, asshown clearly in Fig. l. For compactness and convenience the arms 12 arepivoted in dierent horizontal planes as is common in this class ofdevice.

-In Figs. 7 and 8 which show the inner member of equilateral triangleform in cross section, the arms l2 are of the same construction andsecured to the inner member in the manner described, it being noted,however, that where the inner member is triangular and the outer membercylindrical, there is ample room between thelatter and the sides of theformer to accommodate the arms when folded without providing the innermember with external grooves.

In the construction shown by Sheet 2, the grooves 8 are of slightlygreater length than the arms 12. This construction also difers from theconstruction shown by Sheet 1, in that the inner ends of the arms 12 arebent to circular form to constitute hinge loops 17 for engagement withthe pivots 14, the openings 18 being of sufficient size to accommodatesaid loops, and it will be noticed also by reference to Fig. 5, that thepivots are inward of the lower ends of said openings, in order that thearms Vmay be supported in operative position by bearing on the innermember outward of said pivotal points. In Sheet. 2, I also show adifferent means for positively arresting separating movement of themembers, the inner one being provided externally with a shoulder 1S andthe outer member with an inwardly-projecting lug 19 overlying theshoulder and adapted to be struck by the latter in the action ofextending the device as the catch 11 snaps into the Opening 5 of theinner' member. When the device is fully extended all of the arms areabove the outer member and as t-hey successively emerge from the latterthey will ordinarily fall through the force of gravity to substantiallythe position shown by the uppermost arm in Fig. 1 and two of the arms ofFig. l, the spring catch holding the device extended under any weightwhich would normally be imposed upon them.

When it is desired to contract or fold the device, endwise pressure isapplied on the members to slide one within the other. In practice it ispreferred to have the catches so formed that they must be pressed inwardby hand to permit of the retractive or folding action and for thisreason it is preferable to have the catch movable with the inner memberand adapted to project through an opening in the outer member so that itshall be accessible when it is to be tripped preliminary to the foldingoperation.

ture. Again it may constitute' a portable y to arrest such device whichcan be carried in a trunk, or the inner member may be suspended from anoverhead support, in which case the outer member would be slid downwardto extend the device and upward to retract it, and it is obvious that itis susceptible of use in other connections not necessary to enumerate.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced acostumer or clothes rack possessing the features of advantage enumeratedas desirable in thel state of the object of the invention and I wish itto be understood that while I have illustrated and described thepreferred embodiment of the invention I do not wish to be restricted tothe exact details of construction shown and described as obviousmodifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

I claim:

A costumer or clothes rack, consisting of an upright tubular memberprovided with a hole near and a cap at its upper end, the cap having anangular opening` and openings exterior to and. communicating with thefirst-named opening, one of said exterior openings occupying the samevertical and radial plane as said hole, an inner member fittingtelescopically in the outer member and extending through andnonrotatably in said first-named opening 0f the cap and provided iu theradial planes of said communieating openings of said cap, withlongitudinal grooves in its outer side and with a tongue underlying thecap and with outwardly-projecting flanges below said tongue and inengagement with the inner side of the outer member, a spring catchsecured to the inner member within the groove thereof, in the radialplane of the said hole, and arms itting in the grooves of the innermember and pivoted thereto and projecting at their pivoted ends into thesaid member and adapted to occupy positions wholly within said groovesand the inner member and being capable, when in such position of passingthrough said communicating openings of the cap; said armsbeing adaptedwhen above said cap to swing downwardly and outwardly and havingshoulders for engaging the outer side of said inner member downward andoutward swinging movement before said arms can attain a horizontalposition, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK D. PELLETIER.

IVitnesses:

HELEN C. RoDeERs, FRANK R. GLORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byvaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

